Malik's passport seized, asked not to leave country

Last updated on: April 05, 2010 14:03 IST

Police on Monday seized the passport of Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and asked him not to leave the country as they questioned him in the wake of a complaint of cheating lodged by the father of a local girl Ayesha Siddiqui claiming that she was married to him.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ayesha was also questioned by Hyderabad Police which is trying to verify authenticity of the nikahnama cited by the Siddiqui family and that of the photo showing her along with 28-year-old Shoaib, a senior police officer said.

The case has been transferred to Central Crime Station, a wing of the city police, he said, adding that Shoaib has been asked not to leave the country.

28-year-old Shoaib told a police team on Monday morning at the Jubilee Hills residence of 23-year-old tennis star Sania Mirza that he had been tricked into marriage with Ayesha.

"The Hyderabad city police have questioned Shoaib Malik for one-and-a-half hours and they have also seized his passport. Immigration authorities have been informed about the case filed against Malik and his passport seizure," Additional Commissioner of Police (Coordination) Dwarka Tirumala Rao said.

"As part of the investigation, a police team visited Sania's residence on Monday. We are probing the matter," Rao added.